In this blog I will post results of a short environmental survey that I have sent to government officials, religious leaders, corporate CEOs, wildlife experts, and others. Click Here to take the survey

***DISCLAIMER- The views expressed in the surveys are personal views of the respondents, and are not to be taken as official statements.***

Thanks to my sister Michelle McIlroy for designing the logo!

Welcome!

Ever since I was a child, I have been very interested in nature and the environment. I have a B.S. degree in wildlife biology, and have worked as a zookeeper, wildlife biologist, and ecologist. I am conducting a brief survey of world leaders, government officials, religious leaders, corporate CEOs, environmental groups, wildlife experts, and others regarding nature and the environment. I am also very interested in religious views, customs, and beliefs from around the world, and the interactions between religion, culture, society, and the environment. This is something I am doing out of personal interest, and is not connected to any group or organization. I have been working on this project since the summer of 2006, and hope to eventually turn it into a book and/or documentary. I am hoping to make this into a global project, with responses from all segments of society. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or comments. If you have not already done so, I hope that you will consider taking part in my project, and please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested! Thanks for stopping by!

November 20, 2015

Running in the Wrong Direction

Time and time again, I wonder if the Republican Party has ever been taught how to use a compass, or can even grasp the concept of a GPS unit, as they are clearly running in the wrong direction. From their attempts to dismantle the environmental policies that protect our natural resources, and indeed our health and well-being, to their attempts to undermine the upcoming COP21 Climate Conference in Paris, they are hell-bent on dragging the country down the path to never-never land that they seem to be following. Granted, most of them are in the pockets of the fossil fuel industry, polluters, and any number of special interest groups looking to profit at the expense of our environment and health, so I suppose it is to be expected, but it is still appalling.

Following the recent tragedy in Paris, the Republicans have really shown how backwards their views are, and how closed-minded their leadership is. Never mind the fact that the bombings in Beirut and the continual attacks by Boko Haram on the Nigerian people largely go unreported, the fact that the Republican party seized upon this tragedy to try and block all Syrian refugees from entering this country is outrageous. Even more repugnant was the suggestion by some that only Christian refugees be allowed into the country. There are many flaws with the "logic" of the Republican Party (although using both words in the same sentence really feels like an oxymoron)…

For starters, the idea that letting Syrian (i.e. Muslim) refugees into the country makes us more vulnerable to terrorist attacks is laughable. The refugees entering this country already go through more intense scrutiny than people entering the country on work, student, or tourist visas, yet they have been the majority of perpetrators of terrorist attacks and threats in the country. Also, does the name Timothy McVeigh not mean anything? One of the worst terrorist attacks this country has seen outside of 9/11 was the bombing in Oklahoma City, which was masterminded and carried out by white male citizens of the United States, not refugees seeking shelter from terrorists themselves… Unabomber, Eric Rudolph, the list goes on…. Home-grown, white male terrorists, often doing their terror in the name of Christianity.

The offensive suggestion that only letting Christian refugees in would be acceptable is just as preposterous, as if being Christian makes you immune to being a threat to anyone. More than 1 million people died during the Crusades, and thousands died during the Inquisition. Both of these were done in the name of Christianity. The torture tens of thousands faced during the Inquisition rivaled that used by many modern terrorists, but again, it was done in the name of Christianity. There are countless examples throughout history of Christianity usurping the cultures and customs of other peoples in order to better force them to assimilate, and when they resisted, they were done away with.

I am not saying that all Republicans are of this mindset, or that there are not Democrats who are delusional in their views as well, but as a whole, the Republican Party, and not the Syrian refugees, is one of the biggest threats our country currently faces.

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About Me

I have a B.S. in Environmental & Forest Biology from SUNY ESF and an MBA in Sustainable Business from Marylhurst University. I have worked as a zookeeper (San Antonio Zoo & Disney's Animal Kingdom), wildlife biologist (Everglades Wildlife Management Area), staff ecologist (Audubon International) and Pet Care Manager (PetSmart) in the past, and am currently working as an environmental educator for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. I am also the editor of the NYS DEC publication Conservationist for Kids. I am particularly interested in birds, biodiversity conservation, environmental education, sacred sites, and sustainability.

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